Pill-machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. THOMPSONf Pill-Machine.

Patented May 4, WSSQ.

WITNESSES:

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

ATTORNEYS.

J. THOMPSON. Pill-Machine.

Patented May 4, H880.

UNITED. STATES PATENT Orrieeo JOHN THOMPSON, OF OAKLAND, MARYLAND.

PILL=MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,320, dated May 4, 1880.

/ Application filed August 25, 1879.

' of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pill-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to machines for rolling pills; and the invention has for its ob- 'ee 'uri'sh n (w 3 1 iie n.- tt t ul aco nut and rolvei nt 11 I tionof the machine.

and raise the upper plate, 6.

chine adapted for the use of druggists in putting up prescriptions in pill form of any usual size. 7

The invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction and combination, which will be hereinafter described in' connection with the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figurel is a front eleva- Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine on linear of Fig. 1. Fig.4 is a plan view of the rolling-cylinder, with one plate thrown back. Fig. 5 is appction of the powder-sifting box.

spending parts. r

The operative parts of the machine are all carried by the side frames or standards, a a, that rise from the base I). The upper ends of the standards a are slotted to receive the sliding boxes 0 of a rock-shaft, (I, from which is hung, by arms (1, the upper rol-lin g-plate, c. The lower rolling-plate, f, isfixed between the standards a, and both plates cf are of curved form or sectors of a cylinder, of which shaft d is the axis. r

At the back of the-machine, in suitable bearings, is arock-shaft, g, having crank-arms g, froin which rods it connect to the sliding boxes 0. One erankarm g bears upon a spring, h, that tends'to throw'the boxes 0 upward Upon' the end of shaft 9 is a handle, 5, by which the plate 0 is brought down by hand, as required, and upon shaft (1 is .a handle, 71, for use in swinging the plate 6. Upon one standard a is a weighted stop, a, which, by engagement with one arm, (1, of plate 0, holds the plate back to give access to the mass on plate f before or after rolling.

Above the plate cis fixed the powder-box k. Thishas a semicircular or rounded bot- Similar letters of reference indicate corretom perforated with fine holes, and is fitted with inner and outer scrapers, 7c k that act to'force the powder through the perforated bottom and scatter it over the mass of material on plate f.

Upon the forward edge of the lower rollingplate, f, a shaft, 1, is hung in suitable bearings l upon which is athree-sided or triangular rule'or guide, I.

The machine shown is fitted with three sets of rolling-plates, and the guide l is therefore made three-sided; but the machine, may be made with four or more rolling-plates, and the guide made to correspond. The guide I is as long as plate fis wide, and is shorter than the space between the bearings of its shaft l, so that it may be moved lengthwise with its shaft, for purposes hereinafter described. v Each side is marked by lines into 'spacesot' equal length, the spaces on each side varying in length from those on the other sides. These spaces are numbered consecutively from the center to each end, from 1 upward, as shown, and for convenience the sides of the guide I are numbered 1, 2, and-3.

In front of guide l is hung a plate or shelf, m, on a shaft or pivots, m, that are sustained in the bearings 1 The shaft m is fitted with a counter-weight, m that rests 'on a stop, so that the shelf m is sustained in a horizontal position, and maybe swung down as required.

Beneath the shelf m, in bearings formed in standards a, is hung the revolvingicylinder A,

that is used for rolling the pills. This cylin-' der is fitted upon its periphery with three segmental plates, at, that are formed with grooves, the grooves on each plate difi'eri'ng in number and width from those on the other plates, and corresponding with spaces on one side of the guide I. Upon the outside of each plate a is a plate, 0, having its inner surface grooved to correspond and slightly eccentric to. plate a. The plates 0 are sustained by arms 0 at each side from loose hubs on the axis of cylinder A, which arms retain the plates 0 in contact, or nearly so, with plates 02, and permit movement of plates a independent of cylinder A. This movement is limited by a stopapima, that projects from, the side of A and comes in contact with arms 0. The plates 0 are each pivoted to their respective arms 0, so that they may be swung out from the cylinder A, as

the roll of materialreadily.

required.

fore described. cated by means of handle i, and at the same By having the grooves tapered the machine will makea number of pills at once of the size In operation the pills pass from the wider end of the groove tothe narrower, being thus made smaller and more solid gradually, and any slight variation in the quantity of material will not prevent the pill from being properly formed.

Upon the shaft of cylinder,- A is ahandwheel, 'r, by which the cylinder is to be turned for bringing either plate n to a position for receiving the material and for forming the pills.

The machine is to be used as follows: The material to be made up is to be placed upon ,the platef and powdered from box k, as be- The plate e is then reciprotime pressed down by handle 01 until aroll is produced of the desired size and'length.

Suppose eight pills of size No. 1 are to be made. When the roll is reduced small enough the plate 0 will be turned back, and by the guidcl (using the side marked 1) it may be'seen whether the roll is of sufficient length to cover eight spaces,and if not the material may be further rolled. The material is then brought forward upon the shelf m, the cylinder A turned until the grooved plates at 0, adapted for No. 1 pills, are at the front, and the shelf m turned down so that the material will roll upon plate a. The operator then, holding plate 0 stationary with one hand, reciprocates y the cylinder Awith the other hand, by means scale (marked 1, 2, and'3) in such position that the pointer s will indicate when the inatcrial is rolled to the proper size.- For instance, if the prescription calls for twenty pills, the operator first turns the No. 1 .side of guide I and rolls down the mass until, pointer sis at 1.. If, then, by use of the guide it is found that the roll of material is not long enough to make twenty pills, N0. 2 side of guide lwill be turned up and the material rolled until the pointer s is at 2 on the scale.

' scribed.

' specified.

The roll is then adapted for the N0. 2 grooved plates 12 o.

For making cathartic or other standard pills containing a specified number of grains, I make use of a second point-er, t, and scale, and dispense with guide I. The scale is marked to indicate four, five, and six grains, which correspond with the numbers 1, 2, and Set the other scale. The mass will be rolled down till the pointer indicates the number of grains, and then rolled in the-proper plates A movable stop may be providedfor arresting the downward movement of plate 0 at the desired point. a

It is to be understood that many sizes of pills may be made with each set of grooveplates a 0, the object being to adapt the machine to making prescription-pills which vary in size with each prescription. 7

I do not limit myself to the details of construction exactly as shown and described, as they may be varied without departing from my invention.

I am aware that it is not new to use arollin g-cylinder provided with grooved plates and pawlspivoted to arms on each side of'the cyl inder; but' I What I claim as new and pf my invention 1s-- r 1. In'pill-m'achines, the fixed sector f, swin ging sector 0, sliding boxes 0', shaft d,crank-' shaft g, rods "h, spring 71/, and handlesi 2', combined for-operation substantially as de-v forth.

2. In pill-machines,the powder-box k, fitted with scrapers It W, combined with the rollingplates 0 f, substantially as described and shown.

3. The guide 1 and shaft l, in combination with the rolling' plates ef, substantially as and for the purposes described.

. 4. The weighted shelf m, in combination with the rolling-plates e f and rolling-cylinder A, substantially as and for the purpose de- 5. In pill-machines, the combination, with the cylinder and its grooved peripheral plates a, of the grooved'plates 0, hinged to their sus- 1 v taming-arms o, substantially as described and shown, and for the'purposes set forth.

'6. In'pill-machines,.the rolling-plates a 0, formed with tapering grooves, substantially as described and shown, and for the purposes 7 The combination, with the rolling sector- 7 lates e f and shaft 0?, of the pointer fitted for u e in connection with a fixed seale,'as and for the purposes set forth.

" JOHN THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

DANIEL GHIsHoLM,

GEORGE W. MERRILL. 

